Two bank robbery suspects were taken into custody after they led police on a hour-long chase through downtown Houston Wednesday afternoon.

The chase began about 12:25 p.m. after a robbery at the Trustmark bank at the 10300 block of the Katy Freeway, said Jodi Silva, a spokeswoman for the Houston Police Department. A witness at the robbery scene said a semi-automatic weapon was used, police said.

HPD Lt. Randall Upton said the van matching the description of the suspects was spotted at the South Loop near Kirby about 12:30 p.m. Officers tried to initiate a traffic stop and the driver fled, leading the units on a chase through Houston.

The officers made multiple attempts to stop the vehicle, including throwing spike strips. At one point, one of the van’s tires deflated and a rim popped off the car.

The chase ensued for about an hour with speeds mostly between 60 and 65 miles per hour. The van travelled eastbound on the Katy Freeway and at some point entered the Gulf Freeway, driving through downtown.

The driver exited the freeway at Telephone and traveled along surface streets.

The chase ended on Scott near Noah. The driver ran away, and a passenger got out of the car with his hands in the air to surrender. The driver ran only a short distance before raising his arms and dropping slowly to his knees in surrender.

Both men were taken into custody about 1:20 p.m.

“It wasn’t a very high speed chase,” Upton said. “They weren’t driving recklessly ... I thought they were going to lead us around the entire Loop.”

Upton said during the chase a few items were thrown from the car and afterward, he noticed some currency in the vehicle. He did not know whether the van had been stolen.

Detectives will recover and analyze the evidence and interview the suspects, who have not yet been identified.